Three Road Signs That Confuse Me

I am relatively new to driving. After passing my driving test at eighteen I didn’t actually drive again for about twenty-five years. A combination of not really enjoying driving, never having very much money, and mostly living in cities with good public transport meant that I didn’t buy my first car, a Peugeot 106, until two and a half years ago. (I have since upgraded to a FIAT Panda.) So there are still aspects of driving that confuse me, including certain road markings and signs.

SLOW Road Markings.

I am very good at following traffic rules, but they need to be clear. This is not clear. What does it mean? Does it mean I need to drive slowly? And if so, then please be a bit more specific. Give me a number. Does it mean I need to slow down? But how does it know how fast I’m going? I might already be driving slowly. There is one example of this on my way to work. The road goes from a 30 limit to a 50 limit, and then I see this on the road. Well, why did you tell me to speed up if you were just about to tell me to slow down again? Why not just leave the 30 mile limit in place for a bit longer?

2. Slippery Road Sign

I remember being puzzled by this as a child. I would stare at it, trying to work it out. How on earth did the car make that skid with its wheels? Surely the only way that is possible is if the wheels of the car actually changed places. that must be impossible no matter how slippery the road.

3. This arrow on the road.

This is the most puzzling of all. What is the meaning of this and why is it needed? It appears to be saying to the driver, “Get back over to the left! What on earth are you doing on the wrong side of the road?” I find it a little worrying that the people who make decisions about road markings consider this little reminder necessary.

3 thoughts on “Three Road Signs That Confuse Me”

Oh, and where’s the other 7 things?
Here’s one that really is confusing. Rule 130:
“Areas of white diagonal stripes or chevrons painted on the road. These are to separate traffic lanes or to protect traffic turning right.

– If the area is bordered by a broken white line, you should not enter the area unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so.”

Does that mean I can enter it, or I can’t? It’s necessary to enter this area to do a u-turn, but if the u-turn is not necessary then am I still allowed to do it?